Tight distance-regular graphs (Q1592961)

Let \(\Gamma\) be a distance-regular graph with diameter \(d\geq 3\) and eigenvalues \(k=\theta_0>\cdots{}>\theta_d\). Then the fundamental bound is proved in Theorem 6.2: \[ \Biggl(\theta_1+\frac{k}{a_1+1}\Biggr) \Biggl(\theta_d+\frac{k}{a_1+1}\Biggr)\geq -\frac{ka_1b_1}{(a_1+1)^2}. \] We say \(\Gamma\) is tight, if \(a_1\neq 0\) and the equality holds in the fundamental bound. For eigenvalue \(\theta\) of \(\Gamma\) define the cosine sequence \(\sigma_0=1,\dots{},\sigma_d\) associated with \(\theta\) by the equalities \(c_i\sigma_{i-1}+a_i\sigma_i+b_i\sigma_{i+1}=\theta\sigma_i\) \((0\leq i\leq d)\), where \(\sigma_{-1}\) and \(\sigma_{d+1}\) are indeterminates. For each edge \(\{x,y\}\) define \(f(x,y)=a_1^{-1}|\{(z,w)\mid z,w\in \Gamma(x)\cap \Gamma(y)\) and \(\partial(z,w)=2\}|\). Theorem 3.5. Let \(\Gamma\) be a nonbipartite distance-regular graph with diameter \(d\geq 3\) and eigenvalues \(k=\theta_0>\cdots{}>\theta_d\). Then for each edge \(\{x,y\}\), \[ b_1\frac{k+\theta_d(a_1+1)}{(k+\theta_d)(1+\theta_d)}\leq f(x,y)\leq b_1\frac{k+\theta_1(a_1+1)}{(k+\theta_1)(1+\theta_1)}. \] Some characterizations of tight graphs are obtained in terms of cosine sequences of two eigenvalues (Theorem 7.2) and auxiliary parameters (Theorem 8.3) or feasibility conditions (Theorem 9.3). Theorem 12.6. Let \(\Gamma\) be a distance-regular graph with diameter \(d\geq 3\) and eigenvalues \(k=\theta_0>\cdots{}>\theta_d\) and let \(b^-=-1-b_1/(\theta_1+1)\), \(b^+=-1-b_1/(\theta_d+1)\). Then the following are equivalent: \((1)\) \(\Gamma\) is tight; \((2)\) for each vertex \(x\) the local graph \(\Gamma(x)\) is connected strongly regular with eigenvalues \(a_1,b^+,b^-\); \((3)\) for some vertex \(x\) the local graph \(\Gamma(x)\) is connected strongly regular with eigenvalues \(a_1,b^+,b^-\).